Security in the southernmost provinces have been intensified at official places and crowded areas including hotels, fresh markets, shops and public parks, while vehicle searches were strictly conducted following multiple incidents on Friday.
Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul on Saturday instructed local authorities to beef up security measures across Songkhla and the three southernmost provinces.
He also ordered the Provincial Police Region 9 and the 4th Army Region, both overseeing the South, to work closely with local administrative agencies to provide security for villagers in the region.
Pol Gen Srivara instructed authorities to speed up investigations to bring culprits behind the attacks to justice as quickly as possible.
A security source in Songkhla said the security in the province has been raised to the highest level especially in Chana, Thepha, Na Thawi and Saba Yoi districts as intelligence officers had reported insurgents are planning to attack again on Tuesday.
On Friday night, the houses of two police officers in Thepha district were attacked with guns. They include the houses of Pol Lt Suwit Niewthong and Pol Snr Sgt Maj Somsak Larpwong.
Closed circuit camera footage showed six people came on three motorcycles from Pattani's Khok Pho district, a source who asked not to be named said. The motivation for the attack is believed to be the arrest earlier that day of Salahuding Latae and Mahama Jelae and seven others by a special task force in Pattani.
The arrest and the raid found documents on a strategic plan and meeting records of a Pattani separatist group, the source said.
Also on Friday night, two areas in Narathiwat province were set on fire in arson attacks, where two shophouses and a department store were burned at about midnight, while gun attacks and tyre burning also rocked several districts of neighbouring Pattani on Friday.
There were no injuries.
Firemen and more than 20 firetrucks were deployed to the two fire-gutted areas on Rangae-Makkha Road and Chamroonnapha Road in Muang district of Narathiwat, said Pol Col Charoen Thammakhan, superintendent of Muang district.
In the first spot, a shophouse selling plastic products was engulfed in flames. The fire quickly spread to an ornamental fish shophouse next to it. The firemen took almost two hours to get the fire under control. The two shops were razed, but there were no injuries.
Another team of firefighters was sent to combat a fire at the Super Department Store, the biggest store in Muang district.
Loud bangs were heard while fire crew members were trying to put out the blaze, which started at a shelf displaying flammable products. The fire spread quickly to the entire store. The firemen took about four hours to bring the blaze under control.
Pol Maj Gen Manas Siksamat, chief of Narathiwat police, led a team of police, forensic officers and bomb-disposal police to inspect the fire-gutted areas yesterday morning.
Police said the two incidents were attacks by at least two groups of arsonists.
Footage of closed-circuit television cameras on power poles near the areas was being examined for possible clues about the attackers.
Earlier on Friday night, a string of shooting attacks targeting security officers and the burning of used car tyres hit five districts in neighbouring Pattani province. There were no casualties.
Police and bomb-disposal offices on Saturday morning inspected the five spots in Kapho, Mai Kaen, Sai Buri, Mayo and Muang districts while two unexploded bombs were found in Muang district in the afternoon.
In Kapho, armed men fired shots at a marine outpost at about 7.30pm.
In Mai Kaen district, an unknown number of attackers opened fire in an ambush on a security team providing protection to local residents in tambon Talor Kraithong at 8.10pm.
Shortly later, another gun attack occurred at a combined force's outpost in Sai Buri.